The government of Georgia will host the fifth Open Government Partnership Global Summit in Tbilisi, Georgia, from 17-19 July. The summit will provide an opportunity for leaders from OGP’s 75 participating countries, local governments, and beyond to exchange ideas on how they are making their governments more transparent, accountable and responsive to citizens. Register for the Global Summit at www.OGPsummit.org.

NRGI staff will participate in events throughout the summit. A run-down of those events is below. Updates will be posted periodically.

Description
In OGP, natural resource commitments have great transformative potential. Openness in extractives can pave the way for sustainable development, environmental protection and reduction of social conflicts. It therefore comes as no surprise that the top OGP commitment category is natural resources, in comparison to other sectors like health, education or infrastructure. However, there is still a long way to go to ensure that OGP extractive sector commitments are fully implemented and contribute to deterring corruption. This session will present country examples along the extractive value chain and show how ambitious commitments can contribute to mitigating corruption risks and governance reforms.

Description
This session will unpack current efforts to push for a global norm around beneficial ownership transparency, explore exciting technologies (such as OpenOwnership) and take a sector specific look at the extractive industry. We will make a special focus on how companies can and have engaged on this issue. Overall, by reflecting on progress, our aim is to promote a next generation of beneficial ownership transparency commitments for OGP, to advance this issue toward implementation and use of beneficial ownership transparency in upcoming Action Plans.

Description
Governments and non-state actors are increasingly arbitrary and debilitating restrictions on the operating space for civil society organizations, social movements, and activists. Much of the current analyses on civic space restrictions disproportionately focus on legal provisions; however, as shown by the CIVICUS Monitor, the tactics and strategies used by states and non-state actors are multi-layered and convoluted. Notably, technology is being deliberately used for the surveillance, intimidation, and blackmailing of activists and their movements, exacerbating existing power structures and systemic inequalities.

A healthy civic space enabling meaningful civic participation and allowing to expose human rights violations and call governments to account is critical for the OGP process. This workshop will help identify key challenges and trends pertaining to civic space restrictions as well as creative civil society responses that may enable governments to design better policies and become more responsive to citizens’ needs and demands. It will aim at encouraging critical debate and producing concrete recommendations for the OGP process, including eligibility criteria, mechanisms, and standards.

Speakers

Duncan Woods, director of global initiatives and impact, Publish What You Pay (@PWYPtweets)